Former McCallsburg city clerk sentenced to suspended prison term
Former McCallsburg City Clerk Jennifer Heithoff, 53, was sentenced Thursday after pleading guilty last month to second-degree fraudulent practice.
Heithoff was handed a suspended prison sentence of no more than five years and is placed on probation for a maximum of three years. She is ordered to pay a fine of $1,025, a 15% crime services surcharge, and restitution of $42,839. Court costs and attorney fees will also be assessed to Heithoff.
Heithoff is also required to submit a DNA sample for state records.
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Meanwhile, former McCallsburg Mayor Christopher Erickson, 41, is facing a jury trial in Story County starting May 16. Nearly 10 witnesses have been subpoenaed for the case.
The duo was originally charged with second degree fraudulent practice, felonious misconduct in office, and tampering with records following a 2020 audit. Erickson is still facing all three charges, though two of Heithoff's charges were dropped when she pleaded guilty last month.
Criminal complaints indicate the alleged thefts in the town of about 550 took place between September 2017 and August 2019 after the pair allegedly co-conspired to alter Erickson's personal utility bills. Erickson is also charged with allegedly illegally verifying unauthorized timesheets from Heithoff.
Erickson could serve more than 10 years in prison if convicted while Heithoff faced with a maximum of five years. He also is charged with restitution of $42,839.
According to the 2020 state audit, Erickson did not pay his utility bills during a three-year span, from September 2017 through July 2019 in violation of Iowa Code 388.6. During that time, Heithoff admitted to making adjustments to Erickson's account to indicate his bill was being paid. However, there were no supporting documents to indicate the payments had been made. The total not paid for the utility services during that time was $2,138.
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Additionally, there were times during the aforementioned period in which Heithoff claimed more than twice the number of hours she was authorized to work and provided documentation of those hours to the city, the audit found. Erickson signed the payroll checks for Heithoff in addition to checks for unapproved overtime and unsupported mileage claims.
Teresa Kay Albertson covers politics, crime, courts and local government in Ames and central Iowa for the Ames Tribune and Des Moines Register. Reach her on Twitter @TeresaAlberts11 and at talbertson@registermedia.com, 515-419-6098.
This article originally appeared on Ames Tribune: Former McCallsburg city clerk sentenced while former mayor faces jury
